# Asian elephant (*Elephas maximus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/asian-elephant  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), also called the Indian elephant or Asiatic elephant, is a mammal in the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. It is a giant terrestrial herbivore of forest habitats, with a cathemeral activity pattern and an adult body mass of 2.9 tonnes, up to 4.5 tonnes. Gestation lasts 642.8 days (1.8 years), females have 1 young per litter at 0.23 litters per year, and sexual maturity comes at 9.4 years. Its lifespan is 73.5 years, up to 80 years, and the IUCN Red List classifies it as Endangered (EN), a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 2.92 t – 4.55 t |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 73.5 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 80 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest |
| Gestation | 643 days – 670 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 9 years – 9.77 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.23 |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Endangered (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Proboscidea
- family: Elephantidae
- genus: Elephas
- species: *Elephas maximus* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Elephas asiaticus*, *Elephas gigas*, *Elephas indicus bengalensis*, *Elephas indicus ceylanicus*, *Elephas maximus vilaliya*

## Common questions

### How heavy is an Asian elephant?

An adult Asian elephant weighs 2.9 tonnes, with weights up to 4.5 tonnes reported.

### What does the Asian elephant eat?

The Asian elephant is a herbivore.

### Is the Asian elephant endangered?

Yes. The IUCN Red List classifies the Asian elephant as Endangered (EN), a threatened category.

### How long does an Asian elephant live?

The Asian elephant has a lifespan of 73.5 years, with values up to 80 years reported.

### How many young does an Asian elephant have?

The Asian elephant has 1 young per litter, at a rate of 0.23 litters per year, after a gestation of 642.8 days (1.8 years).

### At what age does an Asian elephant reach sexual maturity?

The Asian elephant reaches sexual maturity at 9.4 years, with values from 9.0 to 9.8 years reported.

### What kind of animal is the Asian elephant?

The Asian elephant is a mammal of the family Elephantidae, a giant terrestrial animal of forest habitats.

### Who named the Asian elephant?

The Asian elephant, Elephas maximus, was named by Linnaeus, 1758.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/asian-elephant